Returning to the frozen planet Aren died on was bound to have complications…A Science Fiction Mystery from Angel Martinez…Major Aren Dalsgaard’s newest assignment is to investigate a series of murders on the frigid planet, Drass, where relations between the Treaty settlers and the indigenous inhabitants have taken a nasty turn. A linguist and trained xenologist, Major Dalsgaard should be the … xenologist, Major Dalsgaard should be the ideal Special Investigations Officer for this case, but Drass is where he died, over a hundred and twenty years ago.
Sent by his family to the chigyel city, Nyachung finds himself confronted with a murder charge, racial prejudice, and a man who claims to be a hero from his grandmother’s generation. The man could be crazy or he could be lying to manipulate Nyachung, but the sincerity in those spring-green eyes disturbs him more than anything else he’s encountered in the foreigners’ city.
Evidence that makes no sense, mysterious boxes, and a suspicion that they can’t trust anyone in the city drives the major and Nyachung together and out into the wilderness. No one’s telling Major Dalsgaard everything, but every step leads him closer to a feeling of imminent catastrophe if he can’t wrap this case up in time.
Publisher’s Note: This is the second edition of the story. The only changes made were edits.
ESTO UNIVERSE BOOKS
Gravitational Attraction
A Matter of Faces
Vassily the Beautiful
Sub Zero
more
It is one of THOSE books… The kind that just opens your heart and your mind, for so many different reasons. I got one of those a couple of times a year when I was younger but they’ve been so few and far between in the last almost 30 years. Then comes this sci-fi book out of nowhere and I just don’t know what’s happening! With racial strife going on here in the United States, this book looks that stuff right in the face… Yes, a science fiction book has shaken me! This work is a second printing so the author is NOT jumping on some bandwagon and she planned this release without knowing of the coming disturbance our country would face and how relevant her work would seem. Work that shines a light on racism, marginalization, prejudice, intolerance, bigotry, and disenfranchisement all wrapped around a beautiful story encompassing both a past and a present love! Dang! Sub-Zero takes place in Martinez’s Eridani Sector Treaty Organization (ESTO) Universe and there are other wonderful stories from this world. I just can’t wait to read more of her work. Thanks for the wonderful eye-opener, Ms. Martinez!
I loved this queer SFF story. It has a really well defined sense of place–a planet colonized by humans not once, but twice. The first colonizers abandoned their genetically engineered slaves who then became indigenous and more and more undervalued in the eyes of the second wave of humans when they arrive.
The main protagonists are a human and a not-quite-human, one sent to solve a murder, one accused of it. They fall in love, they solve the mystery, they bring a better sense of balance to the world. It sounds so simple.
But the universe is deeply textured, the details are painted with a bright, engaging brush and the relationship between the MCs grows at a steady, tender pace. It’s lovely and you should read it.
Bigotry is in the future folks. Angel Martinez wakes up a detective from the past who has been on ice to solve murders in the future. Everyone is under the impression that the beings they hate are the ones who killed Dalsgaard – not so. Everyone has already convicted the guy who has caught except for the consultant on the case – Dalsgaard.
Martinez has crafted a fantastic mystery and a quandary not many detectives find themselves in. Having to be somewhere they died, but in a different time period and where everyone has an entirely different view of your death. On top of that they hate the people you were trying to help and are still trying to help. Roadblocks, resistance, and plain pains in the asses are just some of the things Martinez drafts up. Oh yeah, lets not forget we are chasing a murderer. (laugh)
This is a sci-fi adventure. Sub Zero can be dark, mysterious, and overwhelming at times, but isn’t every good mystery?
I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.
I enjoyed this book by Angel Martinez a lot
The author takes a lot of care in creating worlds and characters. There was a lot going on in terms of genres but you as the reader just soak it in.
Aren is a man who was put in cryo sleep a hundred years ago and is woken up to find everyone he knew and loved gone.
He has to go back to the planet where his lover died and solve a mystery that is decimating the indigenous people on the planet.
I was enthralled with the mystery trying to figure out what was happening and why it was happening, but since I suck at mysteries, I let it fly out and enjoyed how Nya and Aren figured it out.
Among all this strife, we have Aren dealing with emotions and understanding how everything changed in such a short time and finding out that he does have a second chance at happiness.
A thoroughly enjoyable book.
The premise of the storyline alone grabbed my attention, returning to the place of your death from over a hundred years ago. I just had to read it and once I started I could not put it down. These characters and their unique, well-written story was engaging from beginning to end. I am most certainly looking for more books set in this amazing universe.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Angel Martinez is a new author to me, and Sub Zero is my first book of theirs. I was absolutely blown away. I loved their writing and I loved this book so much that it’s on the top of my list of all-time favorites. This book is a sci-fi mystery with suspense elements. The world building is just so amazing. The characters are so well-developed. I really enjoyed and cared about all the main characters: Emma, Nya and Aren. Sub Zero also had all the feels. It had whimsy and wit; I laughed so hard where it was appropriate. I cried for the pain that Aren suffered. I was angry on behalf of Nya’s people being mistreated. In short, this story was perfect all around. It was just so beautifully and perfectly crafted. I’m going to read more of Angel’s books.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.